SEATTLE, Wash. (Sept. 17, 2024)—The Las Vegas Aces (26-13) upended Seattle, 85-72, Tuesday evening, behind a quintet of double-digit scorers led by A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, who each poured in 21 points.
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery
The win moves the Aces 2 games ahead of the Storm with 1 game to play, meaning Las Vegas will play host to at least the First Round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs beginning Sunday, Sept. 22 at Michelob ULTRA Arena (time TBA).
What is still unknown is what seed the Aces will be, and the identity of their First Round opponent. Connecticut (27-12) dropped a 78-76 decision to Minnesota this evening, so Las Vegas now trails the Sun by 1 game, and the Aces own the tiebreaker against Connecticut, having swept them 3-0 in the season series.
A Las Vegas win Thursday over Dallas (9-30) and a Sun loss to Chicago (13-26), would bump the Aces up to the 3 seed, and they would host the 6-seed Indiana Fever (20-19) in the First Round. Should the Aces not catch Connecticut, they would finish in 4th place, and host the Storm in the First Round.
A limited number of single game tickets to the first round of the postseason go on sale Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 10 am PT (link goes live at 10 am).
The dates for Game 2 and a potential Game 3 in the First Round, along with the tip times and broadcast networks for all 3 games of the series, will be announced by the WNBA at the conclusion of the regular season, Thursday.
First Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 29, Seattle 18)
Las Vegas led 15-12 with 4:24 to go in the period, but a 10-0 run increased the Aces lead to double digits, 25-12. Wilson led all scorers with 10 points in the quarter and also broke the WNBA single season rebound record with 4:59 remaining when she snagged an errant Skylar Diggins-Smith 3-ball. The Aces made 12 of 15 shots in the first, while Seattle connected on 8 of 17 from the field. Las Vegas made 3 of its 4 shots from distance, while the Storm missed both of their shots from beyond the arc. Nneka Ogwumike led Seattle with 6 points.
Second Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 48, Seattle 40)
The Aces extended their lead to as many as 18 on 2 occasions, the last of which came with 3:23 to go before intermission. Seattle scored 12 consecutive points to slice the Las Vegas advantage to 6 before Plum’s put back off her own missed shot at the buzzer ended the run. Ogwumike and the Aces Jackie Young led all scorers with 7 points apiece in the second. The Storm made 9 of 18 shots from the floor and all 4 of their free throw attempts, while Las Vegas went 8 for 17 from the field and missed their lone freebie.
Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 63, Seattle 61)
Seattle held Las Vegas scoreless for the opening 4:27 of the 3rd, but the Storm were only able to close to within 2 at 48-46. Plum hit back-to-back 3s to end the run, and it remained a 2-possession game for the remainder of the quarter. Seattle held the Aces to 5 of 15 shooting and forced 4 turnovers, while the Storm connected on 8 of 15 shots with just 2 miscues. Diggins-Smith’s 8 points led all scorers.
Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 85, Seattle 72)
Diggins-Smith scored the first 4 points of the period for the Storm, giving them their first lead of the game, 65-64. A pair of Wilson free throws put the Aces back on top, and started an 8-0 Las Vegas run. A 9-0 Aces run shortly thereafter effectively ended the game. Wilson led all scorers with 7 points in the quarter
KEY STATS
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The ACLU is currently tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, up from 515 at the start of the 2024 WNBA season.
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The Aces shot 32 of 60 from the field (.533) and 9 of 20 from 3-point range (.450), while the Storm made 30 of 63 (.476) overall and 2 of 9 (.222) from distance.
The Storm outscored the Aces 9-4 in fast break points and 8-2 in second chance points.
GAME NOTES
A’ja Wilson Section (21 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 0 blocked shots, 1 turnover)
Wilson now has 1’021 points for the year, extending her WNBA single season record which she broke Wednesday, Sept. 11.
Wilson extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to 51 games—the longest active streak in the league, and the 11th longest in WNBA history. Wilson is the only player in league history with multiple double-digit scoring streaks of 50 or more games (53 games, Aug. 18 2019-Aug. 17, 2021).
Wilson now has 2,087 rebounds for her career which are the 29th most in WNBA history. Next up on the list is Chasity Melvin in 28th place with 2,117 boards.
Wilson now has 4,782 points for her career, which are the 31st most in WNBA history. Diggins Smith is next on the list with 4,808 points.
Wilson now has 451 rebounds for the year, breaking the WNBA’s single-season record of 446 established by Angel Reese earlier this year. The record-setting rebound came with 4:59 to go in the 1st quarter off of an errant Diggins-Smith 3-ball.
Wilson recorded 1 steal on the night, and now has 166 “stocks” (steals plus blocks) for the year, extending her WNBA single season record.
Wilson leads the WNBA in total points, rebounds and blocks. No player in WNBA or NBA history (since blocks became an official statistic), has ever led the league in all 3 categories in the same season.
Rest of the Players/Team Section
Gray handed out 5 assists to give her 1,631 for her career—the 8th most in WNBA history. Candace Parker is 7th on the list with 1,634 dimes.
Hayes scored 10 points to give her 4,602 for her career, moving her closer to Penny Taylor in 35th place on the list with 4,606.
Kelsey Plum’s 5 made 3-pointers give her 110 on the season. A total of 5 players in WNBA history now have 100 or more made 3-pointers in multiple seasons—Diana Taurasi (2006, 2018), Kelsey Mitchell (2023, 2024), Arike Ogunbowale (2023, 2024) and Sabrina Ionescu (2023, 2024). Plum also hit the mark in 2022 when she connected on 113 made 3s, which is also the franchise records for 3s in a season.
The Aces have held their last 9 opponents below 80 points.
The Storm were without the services of Jewell Loyd (knee) and Ezi Magbegor (concussion), while Las Vegas was without Kierstan Bell (non-COVID illness).
NEXT UP
The Aces return home Thursday to take on the Dallas Wings (9-30) in the regular season finale for both clubs. Tip at Michelob ULTRA Arena is slated for 7 pm PT, and the game is being broadcast locally on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.